Preserved as Provincial 35

THE HISTORY

When Provincial Tramways relinquished its final links with its services in Grimsby and Cleethorpes in 1936, it changed its name to the Provincial Traction Company and set about purchasing new double deckers for the Gosport & Fareham Omnibus Co. The first order was placed with AEC at Southall for four buses with Park Royal coachwork. The design was based on the 1933 prototype, which was the result of close collaboration between J G Rackham, Chief Designer of AEC and Park Royal Coachworks. The Provincial Company specified teak for the construction of these composite vehicles.

Curiously number 35 arrived at Hoe-ford before its three sisters, so bears the accolade of being the first ever new double decker supplied to Gosport & Fareham. On delivery its legal lettering bore the name H L White, Orme White’s father, as managing director. Orme White took over day to day management from his father in 1936, so it then carried the legend: ‘H Orme White AMIEE, Manager and Engineer’. From then on, it became just another member of the fleet providing cheap and, at the time, up-to-date transport for the local people.

In 1947, number 35’s ownership was transferred, along with a number of others, to parent company Provincial Traction with headquarters in London.

This enabled 35 to work outside the Gosport & Fareham ‘box’ for such purposes as private hire and contracts. (When I bought the bus in 1969, it still showed ‘Provincial Traction’ as its legal owner.)

For many years it worked the Foster Wheeler contract carrying workers from the area to Fawley refinery. On 18^th June 1957 it was, fortunately, not lost with its Fawley companions 36, 37 and 39 when a disastrous fire swept the Traction Company depot.

Many people considered that Provincial just kept old buses on the road for ever extracting every penny from them till they expired. However, this was not the case and the fleet was kept in good mechanical order and the bodies were often comprehensively reconstructed. In the early 1960s, number 35 was given a major refit, one of many she had received. She returned to service looking spick and span, but disaster struck or rather 35 struck Fareham railway bridge in August 1964. Work was put in hand and she was repaired with the roof of 44. (I often wonder whether the wood stain effect roof of 44 will eventually show through the county cream applied to 35 upstairs.)

The bus soldiered on through the mid sixties and she was quietly retired in 1967. Though Orme White had retired in 1966, I like to think that he might have suggested that 35 be saved before he left. The bus was put away in the depot and was sleeping silently there in 1969 when I was asked by my father if I would like to buy it.

The first move was to return 35 to her 1936 livery. The cream band below the upper deck was put back. By good fortune I had obtained some pre-war numbers for the dash panel on 35. These were larger than those on the rear panel in the company garter. Some time later, the number box on the front panel was removed. When built, these buses featured a clock on the centre of the panel behind the driver. Using original photos, it proved possible to make one up using an old alarm clock. Many years later, through the wonders of digital photography, I discovered a tiny AEC badge on the face of the clock so I put that back. Following a terrible drama on the A10 when a lorry loaded with many tons of metal collided with the offside rear corner, I decided to re-instate the under-stairs window which had been filled in with an aluminium panel in the interests of modernity. In the mid nineties, I applied the wartime livery of deep Brunswick green over the cream bands. It was quite attractive, but for her next repaint I returned to the original colour scheme.

There are always details to be discovered. For many years, one of the road staff produced the printed panels which went into the advert box behind the driver. I have never found the design, but have made a similar one based on a 1938 timetable. For about twenty five years, I have been looking for the correct hackney carriage plate for the bus. Recently society member Stewart Brett was able to tell me that the number, which was discontinued in 1939, was K5341. Now, all I want is a photo to help me to have one made.

(If anybody can help with details about the bus or anecdotes about its time in service, please contact me through the society.)

David Whitaker